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Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Portland Expos dead, all but... Mariners Empire safe

Hopefully on July 13, or soon thereafter, we can put this entire sordid tale behind us. The idea of ever having a major league baseball team in Portland was a poor one to begin with. Now, finally, it may be over.

...three people with knowledge of the relocation process told USA TODAY on Tuesday that those locations are ahead of Las Vegas; Norfolk, Va.; Monterrey, Mexico; and Portland, Ore., but that the committee is having difficulty reaching a final choice.

This will be the last time I run down the list. Hopefully.

1. The Mariners currently have a disproportionately large tv market. Carving off Portland and all the southern markets would harm the Ms. Rule numero uno, don't harm the Ms.

2. Portland better than Montreal? Hardly. Even with a ravenous following, they'd be one of the smallest of small markets.

3. Why not Mexico? I did this little study, looking at the distances between Monterey, Mexico City and other Major League cities. It turns out that Mexican cities are pretty darn close.